Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963 in Mountain View, California) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. Boitano is a graduate of Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California. He is a four-time US National Champion (1985-1988), two-time World Champion (1986, 1988) and the figure skater. He became a professional skater following the 1988 season, and once again in 1994. Career Early career Brian Boitano first made his mark on the international scene when he won the bronze medal at the 1978 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, beating future rival Brian Orser for that medal. In 1982, Boitano became the first American to land a triple axel. In 1987, he introduced his signature jump, the 'Tano triple lutz in which the skater raises his left arm above his head. He attempted a quadruple jump throughout the 1986-87 season and at the 1988 World Figure Skating Championships, but did not cleanly land the jump; he double-footed the landing on two occasions. Boitano was known primarily as a jumper early in his career and he, along with several other skaters, helped push the technical envelope of men's skating. It was not until his failure to defend his World title in 1987 that he focused specifically on improving his artistry. Boitano placed second at the 1984 United States Figure Skating Championships, earning himself a trip to the 1984 Winter Olympics. He placed 5th at the Olympics, setting the stage for the next four years. World Champion Following the 1984 Olympics, several skaters emerged as likely medal hopes following the retirement of Scott Hamilton. Boitano won the 1985 United States Figure Skating Championships, the first of his four titles. At the first World Championships of the post-Hamilton era in 1985, Alexander Fadeev won, with Brian Orser finishing 2nd and Boitano 3rd. At the 1986 World Championships, Boitano took the title, while Fadeev had a disastrous free skate despite having been in an excellent position to win; Orser finished 2nd once again. During the 1986-87 season, Boitano had introduced two new elements to his programs: the 'Tano triple lutz and a quadruple toe loop, although he never succeeded in landing a clean quadruple jump in competition. The 1987 World Championships were held in Cincinnati, giving defending World champion Boitano a home-field advantage. The outcome of the event would set the tone for the 1988 Olympics. At Worlds, Boitano fell on his quadruple toe loop attempt and placed second. After losing the world title to Orser at home, Boitano and his coach Linda Leaver decided that some changes needed to be made if Boitano was to become the Olympic champion. Boitano had always been good at the technical requirements ("The first mark"), but he was weak on the artistic ("the second mark"). He was a self-described "jumping robot". In order to help his growth as an artist, he hired choreographer Sandra Bezic to choreograph his programs for the 1987-1988 Olympic season. * Boitano is considered to resemble actor Bronson Pinchot, to the point where he was considered for a guest role in the TV series Perfect Strangers, as a relative of Pinchot's character. * Boitano was referenced in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. He has a fantasy based song ("What Would Brian Boitano Do?") sung about him by the South Park kids, who idolize Boitano as their hero. * Appeared briefly in the 2007 film Blades of Glory as a world skating federation judge References External links *Brian Boitano's U.S. Olympic Team bio *Brian Boitano Fan Club *Brian Boitano's Gold-Medal Skates at the National Museum of American History Category:American figure skaters Category:Mens skaters Category:Junior mens skaters Category:Olympic skaters Category:Olympic champions Category:World medalists Category:World junior medalists Category:Professional skaters